Banana Bread – 10 steps to the perfect loaf

For any cake lover, like me, it’s hard to pick a favourite, but this one’s definitely up there! My banana bread is pimped to perfection and if you ask me, it’s pretty darn tasty. Simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser, what more could you want? You have to be quick though because after it escapes from the oven it usually doesn’t last long in my house!

Keep reading for my 10 step method to making this scrumptious banana bread!

Serves 20 slices

Dairy-free: To make this cake dairy-free, use dairy-free butter and milk.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 – 25 minutes

Total: 40 – 45 minutes

Ingredients

6 oz / 170g butter

6 oz / 170g soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 large or 3 small bananas (the riper the better)

1 tsp of cinnamon

6 oz / 170g self-raising flour

4 oz / 100g dark chocolate chips

Splash of milk (if needed)

To Finish

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp light brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350F/Gas Mark 4) and prepare a rectangular tin. You can either line it using baking paper or grease it by coating it in butter and then tapping additional flour around the tin. Either method will make it easier to remove once baked. When using baking paper to line a tin, coat with a touch of butter first and screw up the paper in order for it to stick better. This way it’s much easier to manipulate and get into the corners so for sharp edges. Put the tin aside until needed.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk until the mixture goes fluffy and light in colour. If you think it’s pale enough, mix it some more.

3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix fully before adding the next one.

4. Next, break the bananas into chunks and add them to the bowl with the cinnamon and mix well.

5. Sieve the flour over the bowl and set it aside. Add most of your chocolate chips on top (leaving a few to sprinkle on later) and lightly coat in the flour. This will help them not sink when baking. If you don’t have any chocolate chips available, you can cut up a bar of chocolate instead for chunkier pieces of chocolate.

6. Use a metal spoon or spatula to fold the flour and chocolate into the mixture. Take your time using large, slow movements as you don’t want to knock any of the air out.

7. Combine all the ingredients. The batter should drop easily from the spatula, but if it is a touch too dry, add a splash of milk to loosen the mixture slightly. A trick to see whether the mixture is the right consistency is to hold a spoonful of the mixture from a small height. Then, if it falls from the spoon between 3 and 5 seconds, it’s just right.

8. Pour into the tin and sprinkle the remaining chocolate on top.

9. Place into the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly golden on top. To check if the banana bread is ready, place a knife into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready to be taken out. If the knife has batter residue or the centre of the cake still looks wobbly, leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes and check again. If it looks like it’s getting quite brown on top but isn’t done yet, carefully cover the top with a sheet of tin foil and place it back into the oven.

10. Finally, mix the tsp of cinnamon and tbsp of brown sugar together and scatter over the banana bread. Leave it to cool before you slice it – however, it’s best to eat it warm. 😉

To make muffins from this recipe, pour the batter into muffin cases and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. This moist banana bread is beautifully spiced and deliciously chocolatey. It can be topped with buttercream or cream cheese icing instead of cinnamon sugar and goes well with a scoop of ice cream or greek yoghurt and honey.

And there you have it, my 10 steps for the perfect banana bread. Now, get ready to devour every last crumb!

For more tasty treats head to the baking section. Or, for foodgasmic content follow @theardentbakery on Insta.

Els x